


Two times Tony was manipulated by his friends. And one time he ended up liking it very much

by Dorrito



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: But Steve Rogers is worse, Fluff, Humor, JARVIS is a little shit, M/M, The Avengers are all shipping it, Tony Stark is oblivious, Very oblivious for a genius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:23:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3362537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorrito/pseuds/Dorrito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint wandering around with naked pictures of Steve? Bruce playing cupid (sans the arrows)? Natasha lurking in the shadows? </p><p>Or the rest of the team ships it and there is nothing Tony can do against that. Especially if Steve ships it too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clint

**Author's Note:**

> Updated version of one of my firts works. With a better english . Hopefully. 
> 
> Don't be afraid to comment!

Some people think that love comes only with time. Others are more likely to think that it is the result of a mix of hormones or some weird chemicals. There are those who still believe in magic and at love at first sight.  
But what about lust at first sight? Is it too laughable that nobody actually dares to talk about it? Does it even exist? Or is it some kind of rare thing that happens sometimes and gives birth to some kind of freaking unicorn and…  


“God, JARVIS! Don’t let me doze off like this! I was about to thing poetically!” Exclaimed Tonywith a wild wave of his hands before he reached out, grabbing a large mug full of hot and steaming black coffee (with a small hint of cream, but only Pepper knew about this). He had no idea how much coffee he had already drank but he guessed this was starting to be maybe too much if he started to think like /that/. Damn. Maybe he should lay low on coffee for a while?...Or maybe not.   


“I am sorry, Sir, preventing you from day-dreaming wasn’t listed in my program. Shall I add this on the list?” Replied the A.I; british accent filled with undeniable irony.  


“Is that irony, JARVIS? Was this a little hint of the slightest spark of irony that I just heard in your last sentence? I don’t remember putting this in your program, JARVIS.” Retorted Tony as he pushed his rolling chair away from the (very, very messy desk) to put the now empty mug somewhere where it wouldn't break. It was ugly but it had been Steve's first attempt at pottery. It could have been worse. At least it had a handle. And it did keep the coffee warm for a while so...  


“I am only what my creator made of me, Sir.” Simply replied the A.I  


Tony snorted and rolled back to his desk with the ease only experience could procure. His A.I. had just tried to sass him. The worse thing was that this was becoming a common occurence. It had to be Clint's fault. It was always Clint's fault.   


The brunet sighed. Okay /maybe/he was working a bit too much. /Maybe/ he wasn't getting enough sleep. And /maybe/ it was the same about eating. Wow, well this was a lot of 'maybe'. Maybe.   


But still! Really, how could it be otherwise for the one and only Tony Stark? He was an engineer. A creator. He made...stuff. He didn't think about poetry or the essence of love, or whatever thoughts had been bubbling in his mind of the past two weeks. Just thinking about this was as terrifying as imagining Nick Fury smiling.   


Hell, he didn't even know where those thoughts came from! Lust, he knew. Sex, he knew. But love? Seriously, love. As Natasha had put it earlier, love was for children.  


Well, maybe there was respect in the mix. And admiration too, hard not to feel that. You've got to admire the peak of human perfection after all. But love? No, there was no way Tony Stark was in love with Steve Rogers, aka Mr Apple Pie and Freedom.   


Not that he looked bad. Human perfection, remember? You could bounce a quarter off that ass. And the eyes, the bluest blue to ever blue, add in the mix the soft hair and...AND FUCK! Damnit! Here he was again, drooling about his leader and teammate. Maybe he was sick? Yeah, this had to be the explanation.   


“Sir, I detect activity coming outside of the room. My sensors indicate me that Agent Barton is coming down. Should I block access?” Suddenly asked J.A.R.V.I.S., the interruption more than welcome at this point. Even if it was for Clint. Not that Tony didn't like Clint. But Clint was...well. Clint.  


“No, let him in, I was about to get out anyway. I don’t feel like doing anything else right now. Not when I start to be so fucking poetical.”  


“Very well, Sir. I am certain writing down your poetical essais would be more than appreciated by some readers, Sir. ”  


“Shut up and stop trying to be sassy JARVIS, or I swear I’ll donate you to a public primary school.” Snapped Tony, turning toward the entry door where Clint was already in sight.  


“Very well, Sir.” Replied the A.I as the marksman came in. And yes. The sass was back in full force in just this couple of words.   


But Clint stepped in (how he kept discovering the access codes was a complete mystery, but he always brought food or coffee when he came down here, so Tony let him) and Tony's answer was cut short by his arrival.   


The marksman strolled in as if he owned the place. It hadn't always been like that though. The beginnins had been hard to say the least, what with the whole mind-control thing and saving the world stuff. After a rocky start, the team had soon started to look and act more like a team and Tony had discovered Clint was the kind of guy you just coulndn't dislike, no matter what. There were times where the mighty need to maim him was strong, but it didn't last long. Usually. The man could be a real pain in the ass sometimes after all.   


“Hey Katniss, what brings you down there? Lost your last bet or you’re just trying to act nice?” Tony asked once Clint was close enough. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back into his chest, one eyebrow raised as he waited for Clint's answer. They usually bantered a lot when the marksman came down, but this time Clint looked more...calm. Which was enough to make Tony worry a bit. Not that he let it show though.   


His suspicions were confirmed when Clint didn’t answer right away, walking around in the workshop and looking around, poking at a few things just like usual. His eyes were bright though and he finally stopped in front of Tony after a moment, mirroring Tony's posture and crossing his arms as well. A smirk slowly blossomed on his lips.   


“I’m not here to wipe your ass, Stark. I actually made a bet with Nat. If I can take you out in less than five minutes I get to choose the movies we watch for the next month. So be a nice boy and just get up. Plus you need to sleep, eat and take a bath. And the last sentence wasn’t from me, but from Steve who is worried about your living habits and starts to wonder if you’re even human.” Said Clint, eyes on Tony.  


His tone didn’t change at the end of his monologue but his whole expression was…weird. Like he knew something and didn’t want to tell him. This only made Tony more suspicious and he narrowed his eyes, staring up at Clint in disbelief.   


There had to be a trap somewhere or something.   


“First of all, Merida, stop showing off your arms like this, this is simply disgusting. Didn’t your mom tell you that sleeveless tops were for losers?" Retorted Tony instead as he nodded toward Clints arms. They were obsenely large after all. Well there was worse (see Thor) but still, no need to shove muscles into his face. At least not Clint's muscles.  


"Then... I might consider going out in less than five minutes. If you stop looking at me like that. And if you tell me what's in for me. I mean, sorry but your taste in movies is...Well.” He added, with an apologetic smile that didn't reach his eyes.   


But Clint's smile only turned sly and that's when Tony understood that, even if he didn't know how yet, he was fucked.   


“You’re just jealous of my perfect body, so I won’t say anything about the first part. But I might have something to help you consider my offer." Replied the other man. No. Singsonged Clint.   


" I might have been able to bug Cap’s shower. And I may or may not have some interesting pictures I could trade.” He added after a moment of silence, pulling out picture from...somewhere in his pants. But Tony didn't have the time to get a look that the pictures had disappeared already, leaving the brunet gaping at Clint.  


The gaping lasted for a couple of seconds before Tony managed to regain some sort of composure, eyes moving back up to Clint's face. Clearing his throat, he smoothed down his expression into something more blank before he lifted an eyebrow, staring hard at Clint.  


“So? And what would I do with these? What’s even your point? I mean, I could always sell them but I suppose Fury would kill me first. And Steve would revive me so that he could kill me again.” He replied as casually as he could. He even managed to shrug casually, eyes darting back down where he thought the pictures could be hidden. Not that he felt quite ready to search Clint.  


But then the archer was leaning forward, he put both arms on Tony’s armchair, staring straight into his eyes.   


“Oh, yeah. I’m totally sure you’d sell them. And absolutely not drool over as you usually do when Rogers is in sight. I might even start to walk with a mask and a tuba if you don’t stop anytime soon. So stop trying to fool us and fucking go for it. Because the sexual tension over there is fucking suffocating.” Retorted Clint matter of factly.   


Then he moved, taking off a small picture out of his nowhere again and waved it in front of Tony's eyes.  


And Tony’s eyes went wide. He gulped, staring at the picture. Yeah, it was a fucking damned picture of Steve. Naked. Completely naked. Definitely, totally naked. And his bare ass was right in front of Tony’s eyes. Oh god…Tony was definitely dead. He swallowed, feeling his mouth strangely dry. He tried to reach out to snatch the picture out of Tony's hands, but the marksman was already striding out of the workshop.  


“Don’t dream, Tony! You get this one only if you follow me right now. You have…thirty seconds left." He called out over his shoulder, waving the picture some more.  


…And despite all the things Tony could say, Clint swore he never saw Tony run so fast in his life /outside/ of his lab…  


And so Clint was able to choose the movies for movie night for a month. And, of course, everybody hated it.


	2. Bruce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the manipulating shenanigans.

It was morning. Well, if 2pm counted as morning. It did for Tony. And he was actually waiting –no actually staring – at a coffee machine while it purred like a kitten, preparing him his magical potion. See there coffee as dark as the darkest pit of Hell.  


He was alone, which was quite a rare occurence. Despite the many kitchen in the tower, it seemed like the one on Tony's floor was now some sort of communal kitchen. Not that the brunet minded that much, it meant he could always find some food to snatch in the fridge, no matter when he came. And maybe Tony was enjoying the company as well. It had been strange at first, all these people invading his space and talking and laughing so early in the morning. But he got used to it in the long run, and now it felt almost too calm. How strange. Not that he didn't like being alone as well. But in that tower, silence usually meant trouble.   


But still, he had to admit that, somehow, despite all their small fights, he had come to trust the rest of the team. They had grown on him and now he almost felt /lonely/. Him of all people. Or maybe he wasn't awake enough to think about that.  


Shaking his head, Tony huffed a weak snort and reached out to pat the coffee machine, knowing very well this wouldn't make it work faster but kinda growing impatient. At least the smell of coffee filling the room was good enough to let his thoughts drift once more.  


He thought about the last argument between Natasha and Clint. They had been worried about each other and had dealt poorly about that. Knives had flown everywhere. But it was like that, nobody was surprised anymore. They were fighting together but they were kinda fighting themselves as well. They all had their issues, more than the normal guy to be honest. But maybe that was a requirement to become a superhero. But still. They were together and somehow, it kinda felt like a strange family. A weird, deadly one. But still a family.  


The thought made Tony snort. Because, really, family? With a super ninja assassin who drank vodka like water, a marksman with a perfect aim and a sassy attitude, a biologist with anger issues, eventually a God norse –when he wasn’t on his planet, yeah, his /planet/, for God’s sake (or getting slapped by his 'Dear Jane') - and the incarnation of perfection made flesh… And he wasn’t speaking about Rhodey, Pepper and Happy. And it was really…weird to think them as a family. Because he knew he could trust them. But was afraid to. He knew what happened when he trusted people. And he was scared to be hurt the same way again. And…  


“OH MY GOD! JARVIS please stop me! I’m thinking weird things again!” Whined Tony, letting his head fall on top of the coffee machine. It was strangely silent, the coffee finished to be brewed for a while now.  


“Shall I make researches on trouble of behaviour, Sir? Or would you like me to ask miss Potts for help?” Asked JARVIS, the same ironical tone in his voice. The one that always made Tony sigh and re-think his choices.  


“Don’t. Just…Don’t. Let me alone with my thoughts. I must be dying, or something like this. Because this is definitely not normal…” Replied the genius with a groan.   


“As you want Sir. May I suggest that you get some sleep instead of drinking the cup of coffee you have been staring at for five minutes and twenty two seconds.” Replied the A.I..  


“Shut up, JAR”, just shut up, will you.” Replied Tony with a sigh. Grabbing the cup, he downed half of it straight away before he massaged his temples with his free hand. Maybe he was getting too old for this.  


“As you want sir.” Replied J.A.R.V.I.S.  


And Tony could swear he heard /that/ hint of irony again. But he didn’t have that much time to think about it because Bruce walked in, quiet as alway. He stopped a few seconds when he spotted Tony, surprised to see him out of his workshop. But he didn't comment on it. Even if Tony had already spent two days and a half in the workshop. He was just like that. 

The doctor cleared his throat after a couple of seconds when he realized Tony still hadn't seen him and the brunet started, almost spilling his precious coffee. He swirled around to look at whom had had the audacity to disturb his coffee time but he could only smile when he saw Bruce.  


Because he liked Bruce too. They could speak about anything, from the theory of the relativity to the biological interest of the platypu. –Yes, it totally happened. Tony had been drunk so he didn't remember much about it but Natasha had pulled out a recording out of thin air. It had confirmed what Tony already thought though. Natasha was dangerous and to be kept on his good side at all costs.  


And Bruce, despite his little anger issues, was…calming. Like he was some kind of natural thing calming the atmosphere. And Hell, he actually turned into a big green thing when angry. Green. If this wasn’t natural, Tony would lose his beard. Wait, no. Not his beard. His very elegant goatee. Maybe not that very neat right now but…  


“You’ve been staring in the air, Tony. You need to sleep.” Said Bruce calmly, without even trying to make fun of Tony for this. And that was why Tony liked him. Because, even if the man smiled, and laughed –they all jumped out the first time they heard him laugh, actually- he actually managed to stay in everybody’s good side. And even if he didn’t, a puppy-eyes look and cookies and everything was forgotten. Because, damn, these cookies…(Especially the weed ones, not that they had been supposed to eat these ones).  


“Yeah, sorry. Must be a bit tired. Finally managed to make things better with the suit. But parts are definitely broken. Need to make them again.” Replied Tony with a sigh. Shaking his head, he grabbed an apple and took a seat, falling down heavily on top of the sturdy chair, sighing once more.  


Bruce nodded and sat in front of Tony. He had his small usual lopsided smile. Like he was smiling but still holding it back. Like he knew something but didn’t wanted to tell Tony. But Tony was too tired to even notice. The doctor put his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together, head leaning on top of them as he studied Tony.  


“I know I have no right to say that. That I’m not your mother or anything like this. But I’m…We are all worried about you. I know that your armor is very precious to you…but you should really get some sleep. Last time I spoke with Steve he was very worried, you know.” Said Bruce softly after a moment. He didn't move but Tony looked up from his mug to stare at Bruce as if he had two heads.  


But he just snorted at that and shrugged casually. “Sleep is for normal people. And dead ones.” He replied, not bothering to say more. He was too tired to think about this right now. He could only smell his delicious coffee and plan how he was going to work on the last parts of the armor he could repair. His head was full of blueprints and he was so lost into his own little big world that he completely missed Bruce’s words as the otherman started to speak again. He blinked a few times and put back down his mug.  


“Sorry, Doc’, could you say that again? I kinda missed it…” He said easily, shooting Bruce an apologetic smile.  


“Sure." Replied Bruce with a warm smile." I was just saying that Clint told me he found something interesting in Steve’s room and put it into yours. Since I don’t want to die a painful death, I didn’t ask for more, but…I heard him speak with Natasha, about pictures and a lost shirt.” He said with a shrug, looking the epitome of innocence.   


Tony’s eyes went wide and it clearly took him a few seconds to completely understand Bruce’s words. He could swear Bruce's smile had turned sly for a moment, but this was certainly a figment of his imagination, nothing else. Yep. Must have been that.  


“I…I see.” He said slowly. “I..I think I really need to sleep now. ‘cause I’m really seeing things. Imagining things. And I really…need to sleep.” He mumbled, standing up and leaving his mug on top of the table, next to the untouched apple he had grabbed earlier.  


He didn't run out of the kitchen but it wasn't far from it. He almost ran into the door in his haste and barely dodged it, vision blurry with tiredness. He was so eager to head for his bedroom that he completely missed appearing out of nowhere from the top of the fridge, dropping something on Bruce's lap that looked a lot like a hand-knitted scarf. Bruce snorted and rolled his eyes but didn't say a word. Instead he stood up and went to prepare himself a cup of tea.  


They didn't see Tony for half a day, and J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed the genius slept all the time. He didn't say his creator did so while clutching at the 'lost' shirt that had ended up on his bed though.   



	3. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last part!

As weird as it seemed, this time, Tony was fine. As fine as Tony Stark could be. Maybe slightly buzzed. First time in a while. And why? Because…Hell, because Steve didn’t like it. Didn't like to see Tony drinking to forget and stuff like that. Heck, who was Tony to refuse the leader after all?  


They were all sitting together, for the movie night. Only Clint was paying attention –because of course, he was the one choosing the movie tonight- and the others were all either dozing off, reading or daydreaming. But at least they were all drinking. Well, if you can call drinking booze drinking. Better than nothing thouhg. But technically, it was drinking, or so had said Steve. But there was some popcorn too, so it made things a bit more bearable.   


The day had been quite rough and Tony had to admit that he was quite proud of himself. He’d managed to save the day without almost dying and without making everybody angry. Either. The armor was completely destroyed though, but still! Progress! AND Steve had actually praised him for that.  


Tony's thoughts came to a complete stop once more and he barely fought back a groan, head falling back against the back of the couch. Fuck, he was thinking like /that/ again…   


Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes briefly and sighed before he focused back on the movie. Well tried too. A quick glance around made him freeze though. Everybody was staring at him. Clearing his throat, he waved a hand, showing them he was fine and that he was just being genius there so there was no need to disturb him –or something like this, but he clearly didn’t care about how people understood his gesture as long as they let him in peace. It seemed to mind and everyone focused back on whatever they had been previously doing. Except Thor, fast asleep and on the verge of snoring. Tony could see it with the way his nostrils flared with every breath. Thunder wasn't that far.  


Steve shifted next to him, once again provoking a complete stop of Tony's thoughts. The brunet looked up at him, only to see the blond shooting him a worried look. A quick shrug and a pat on the arm later and Steve was huffing, focusing back on the screen. Tony stared at him some more but did the same after a moment. Strangely enough, the past month, every time they all sat down to watch a movie, he ended up squeezed next to Steve in the too small couch. Which was kinda too small for Tony's liking because he was almost plastered against Steve's side, feeling his warmth, his muscles and a lot of things he definitely didn't want to think about.  


“Don’t worry Cap’, I’m fine, I’m fine. Just don’t get your pants in a twist just because someone in the team acts a bit weirdly.” Joked the genius once his thoughts came back on the right track.   


Steve just grunted but Tony took that as some sort of agreement. He could swear Clint shot him a look too, but he didn't want to think about that right now. Steve was warm. He was warm. Aching everywhere too, but still. The couch was comfy and the movie boring.  


But as the movie went on, Tony started to doze off. The movie was really, really boring after all. As if Clint had chosen the most boring movie ever made…Which was strange because Clint loved explosions and the like. Weird. But Tony was too asleep to think about that.   


In a way, it was a good excuse to charmingly let his head fall on Steve shoulder. It could have been charming if Tony hadn't drooled as well, but he wasn't conscious to notice. And if Steve didn't move or comment, well, too bad for him.   


Tony woke up a few hours later, completely lost. It was dark. Completely dark. He couldn’t even see the Ark’s light and…naturally, he started to freak out, as the good Avengers with a ton of issues as he was. He gasped, trying to move but something was pushing his weight on him and…yeah he was totally freaking out right now. He was about to cry something, anything –God, he wouldn’t even have been ashamed he he’d let out a girly scream- when a strong, warm hand briefly pressed against his mouth. The weight on top of himshifted, revealing the light of his ARK reactor again…And Steve. And his bedroom…What?  


What?  


“Tony? Tony, breathe, Tony breathe, please. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to startle you, hey, hey Tony.” Whispered Steve franctically, stroking Tony's hair.   


That's when Tony realized he had stopped breathing. It took him a couple of tries, but he ended up taking a deep breath, feeling with pleasure fresh air filling up his lungs, black dots disappearing from his sight. It took him a moment to calm down, shivering into Steve's arms.  


It hit him like a ton a couple of minutes later. Steve was in bed. With him. In his bedroom. Whispering sweet nothings into his hair because he was too broken to handle cuddling.  


“S-Steve? What the fuck are you doing here?” He asked, voice rough, griping whatever was under his hand. Actually the sheets, to be precise.  


“Yeah, it’s me. God, Tony, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to. I…You fell asleep on me. And the others left…I didn’t want to let you there so I…brought you there but you were a bit…clingy…So I stayed. And fell asleep. I must have rolled over you, I’m sorry. Really.” Apologized Steve as fast as he could, still petting Tony’s hair and holding him close –and God his heart was beating fast.  


“S’okay, Steve. I didn’t meant to freak out. Old issues and all that jazz." Replied Tony, trying to look as casual as he could despite the sweat and shivers. " But if you dare apologize once more, I swear I'll stick glitters all over your suit and dye it pink.” He added joginkly, trying to change the atmosphere to something a bit less...heavy.  


Steve let out a small laugh and nodded. “Fine, I promise.” He slowly let go of Tony and moved away, seeming to understand that he was holding Tony into his arms –and even with only blue light, Tony could see Steve’s blush. And god it was so cute…This was too cute to be real. This man wasn’t human; this was the only solution to such perfection…  


“I should go, now that you’re awake.” Said slowly Steve. He eyed Tony and then the door but didn't move, as if he…as if he was hesitating?  


What happened after, Tony could never explain it. He just reached out and quickly grabbed Steve’s shirt. It was just instinct and maybe some adrenaline still running through his veins. But it happened so quickly that Steve could only freeze, looking down at Tony's hand before slowly looking back up at Tony's face.  


“I…Could you stay there? For the rest of the night? I…just don’t want to wake up alone again. Just in case I have another freak out like this…Please?” Whispered Tony, more ashamed by his admission than anything else. He didn't want to look at Steve right now, didn't want to see the pity on his face or whatever expression he could sport.  


Steve stayed. He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t even sigh. He just moved back against the pillows and patted the bed next to him with a smile. Tony blinked a few times, not quite believing what was happening right now. But he laid down next to Steve at the blond's insistence, still completely under the shock of Steve petting the bed next to him with a smile. This was a vicious attack, a sneaky fucking sexy attack and if his brain hadn't been so shaky with his earlier panic attack, he might have done something he would regret later.  


Still, the sooner he saw that scene again, the better. And with the right context this time.  


But this night, Tony only relaxed and inched closer next to Steve. Only to feel the blonde man wrap an arm around his waist, hugging him close. Tony tensed at first, not having expected this. But he was exhausted and Steve was warm. Soon enough the brunet was relaxing again and closing his eyes.  


Tony himself can swear he never fell asleep this quickly in his whole life. And he still swears that when he woke up, it was the better sight he’d ever been able to have in front of his eyes.  


And the better part? When he kissed Steve lightly –on the lips, please- before slipping out of the bed, Tony swore he saw a faint smile on the blonde’s lips.


	4. Bonus

A few weeks later and a very hot confrontation about naked pictures (also, a very, very hot session of steamy sex in a shower) later, Tony felt better. Way much better. More human. And less lonely. 

Nothing had changed. He still spent hours working on upgrading the armor, inventing new arrows and basically keeping his family alive. 

Bruce still offered him tea and nice discussions. Clint still appeared out of nowhere, all smirks and grass remarks. Natasha was still as scary as always. 

One thing had changed though. One very, very good thing. 

Now when Tony came back to his bedroom to more decent hours, he stepped into the bathroom and cleaned up, getting rid of sweat and grease. But now, instead of slipping into a cold and large bed, he was welcomed by warm smiles and creamy skin. Welcomed by soft kisses and gentle caresses.

So yeah. He still had issues. But things could have been worse.


End file.
